Thai MMA star Saksurin to make ROAD FC debut in Beijing

ROAD Fighting Championship has lined up Thai MMA star Thirayut “Saksurin” Khaorat for its next show, slated for Beijing on 12 May.

ROAD signed Saksurin to a multi-fight deal in March, marking the first time the Korean MMA promotion had looked to Thailand for talent.

The Muay Thai champion and BJJ blue belt will now be making his debut against Ki Won-Bin (6-5), a mainstay of ROAD FC who trains out of Team Posse.

Ki is an intelligent striker who participated in ROAD’s $1 Million Tournament with a rocky outcome: he was submitted by finalist Mansour Barnaoui in the International Trials, then knocked out by Bruno Miranda in a reserve match.

Ki Won-Bin vs. Saksurin is among four new bouts added to ROAD FC 47 in Beijing.

Also lined up is a catchweight (-72kg) bout between two $1 Million Tournament fighters Bao Incang and Rafael Fiziev.

Bao Yincang (11-5-0-1) is a China sanda champion who made his name in MMA by defeating the best welterweights on his way down to lightweight. In the $1 Million Lightweight Tournament, he won the China Trials and his Opening Round match.

Rafael Fiziev (5-0) is another Tiger Muay Thai trained fighter who hails out of Kazakhstan. A Muay Thai champion with almost 40 wins, he has carried his skills over to MMA with four out of five first-round finishes by knock out. Fiziev won his bout in the $1 Million Tournament International Trials, but a hand injury kept him out of the next round.

A rematch between Albert Cheng and Sasaki Shinji has been added ROAD FC 47. Shinji (18-11-3) and Cheng (8-4) met in the $1 Million Tournament International Trials back in February last year, with a penalty to Cheng tipping the final scorecard in Sasaki’s favor. The pair will now meet again, this time in a -72kg catchweight bout.

Bruno Miranda (10-3), a four-year mainstay of ROAD FC returns to face multiple national Sanda champion and East Asian Games gold medalist Baoshe Riguleng (1-1) in a -72kg catchweight bout.

ROAD Fighting Championship 47 goes down at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing on 12 May and featured the 2018 Openweight Grand Prix.